Lethal Attraction: Against the RulesFatal Affair

by Linda Howard

  She heard Freddie moving toward them as she rammed the heel of her hand into Peter’s nose, sending him flying backward, blood bursting from his face.

  “You fucking bitch! You motherfucking frigid whore! You broke my fucking nose!”

  “Book him, Cruz.” Sam’s hand shook as she brought it up to her throat. “Two counts attempted murder, assaulting a police officer, stalking a police officer, possessing bomb-making materials, breaking and entering, violating a restraining order, and anything else you can think of.”

  Freddie hauled Peter up off the floor and snapped cuffs on his wrists. “With pleasure.”

  “Does he know you’re only half a woman?” Peter screamed. “Did you tell him you’re barren?”

  Sam’s heart kicked into overdrive as pain shot through her gut. “Get him out of here.”

  Long after Freddie dragged the shrieking Peter from the room, Sam stood there trying to get her shaking hands under control. Finally, she turned to leave the room and found a crowd of coworkers waiting for her.

  Captain Malone stepped forward. “Well done, Sergeant.”

  “Thank you,” Sam said, her voice shaky. She heard the whir of the wheelchair before she saw it. Oh God, she groaned inwardly at what her father must’ve heard. The crowd parted to let him through, and her heart almost stopped when she saw Nick with him. “So you heard all that, huh?” Sam said to her dad after the others left them alone.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, her cheeks burning. “It must’ve been embarrassing for you—”

  “That was the most entertaining fifteen minutes of my life—right up until he grabbed you. You should put some ice on your neck. Those bruises are gonna hurt.”

  “I will.” She bent down to kiss his cheek.

  “Proud of you, baby girl,” he whispered.

  She rested her head on his shoulder. How she wished he could wrap his strong arms around her the way he used to. “I think it’s finally over.”

  “I think you’re right. Since I’m here, I’m going to go do some visiting. I’ll be back in a bit, Nick.”

  “I’ll be right here,” Nick said.

  “That’s what I figured.” Skip turned his chair and started down the long corridor, no doubt heading for Chief Farnsworth’s office.

  Nick held out a hand to her. That he did just that and nothing more finally did it for her. Curling her hand around his, she fell the rest of the way into love with him.

  CHAPTER 30

  “I’m sorry,” Sam said when they were in her office.

  “What the hell for?” Nick asked.

  “For using you and our relationship to stick it to him. I didn’t know you were there. I hate that you heard it.”

  “You think that bothers me?” His hazel eyes were bright with emotion. “You nailed him. That’s all that matters. So what did you say that made him go ballistic?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It matters to me.”

  Reluctantly, Sam told him what she’d said. “I don’t want you to think…”

  As if he could no longer resist, he put his arms around her. “What?”

  Again her cheeks burned with embarrassment and discomfort, but this had to be said. “That I think of what we do…together…as fucking.”

  “Baby, come on. I know that.”

  “Because it’s so much more than that,” she said, looking up at him.

  “Yes.” He brushed his lips over hers. “It is.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He went perfectly still. “Yeah?”

  Pleased to have caught him off guard, she nodded. “Since that night at the party for me, too. I shouldn’t have married Peter for many reasons, but mostly because I always loved you. Always.”

  “Samantha,” he whispered, leaning in for a deep, passionate kiss.

  “No PDA on duty, or any other time,” she mumbled when she came to her senses and remembered where they were.

  “Very special occasion.” His hands slid down to cup her ass and pull her tight against his erection. “Does that door have a lock?”

  With her hands on his chest, she tried to push him back. “Don’t even think about it.”

  “I’m way past thinking.”

  She went up on tiptoes to roll his bottom lip between her teeth. “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

  Groaning, he released her. “I’ll hold you to that.”

  “Um, what he said about me…at the end…We should probably talk about that.”

  Nick rested a finger on her lips. “Later.”

  Grateful for the reprieve, she took a deep breath. “So what’s with you and my dad?” she asked, grabbing a half-empty bottle of soda from her desk.

  “We’ve reached an understanding of sorts.”

  Raising a suspicious eyebrow, she studied him. “What sort?”

  “That’s between me and him.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  He tweaked her nose. “You don’t have to.”

  A knock on the door startled them.

  “Enter,” she called.

  Gonzo opened the door. “Um, sorry to interrupt—”

  “You’re not interrupting anything,” she said with a meaningful glance at Nick. “What’s up?”

  “There’s a woman here to see you. Wouldn’t give her name, insists on seeing you and only you. Looks shook up.”

  “All right. Bring her in.” To Nick, she said, “Do you mind taking my dad home? I’ll be along soon.”

  “Sure.” He leaned in for one last kiss.

  “Don’t talk about me with him.”

  “Dream on,” he said, laughing as he left the room. “Put some ice on that neck.”

  Sam took in the view of his fine denim-clad ass and sighed with delight. That he was hers, all hers, was something she still couldn’t believe. She wished she had time to indulge in the happy dance that was just bursting to get out.

  Gonzo accompanied a distraught woman to the door and showed her in. “This is Sergeant Holland.”

  “Have a seat.” Sam gestured to the chair and dismissed Gonzo with a grateful nod. “What’s your name?”

  The woman’s manicured fingers fiddled with her designer purse as she looked at Sam with dark, ravaged eyes. “Andrea Daly.”

  “What can I do for you, Ms. Daly?”

  “It’s Mrs. Daly.” She looked down at the floor, sobs shaking her petite frame. “I’ve done an awful thing.”

  Sam came around her desk and leaned back against it. “If you tell me about this awful thing, maybe I can help you.”

  Andrea wiped the tears from her face. “The night the senator was killed…”

  The back of Sam’s neck tingled. “Did you know him? Senator O’Connor?”

  Andrea shook her head. “I’ve never done anything like this. My family means everything to me. I have children.”

  “Mrs. Daly, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what it is you think you’ve done.”

  “I was with Terry O’Connor,” she whispered. “I spent that whole night with him at the Day’s Inn in Leesburg.” She wiped her runny nose. “When I saw him on the news being brought in this morning…I couldn’t let that happen. He didn’t do it.”

  “I know.”

  Incredulous, Andrea stared up at Sam. “I risked my marriage and my family and you already knew?”

  Sam reached out to her. “You did a brave thing coming here. It was the right thing.”

  “A lot of good that’ll do me when my husband reads about it in the paper.”

  “It won’t be in the paper. If your husband finds out, it’ll be because you tell him.”

  “Do you mean that?”

  “Terry O’Connor doesn’t remember you. He was so drunk he couldn’t even offer a description of the woman he said he’d been with. I’m sorry if that hurts you, but it’s the truth. So the only two people who know he was with you are in this room. I know what I’m going to do with the info. Wh
at you do with it is up to you.”

  Overcome, Andrea bent her head. “I’ve never been unfaithful to my husband before. In nineteen years, I’ve never so much as looked at another man. But he travels a lot, and we’ve drifted apart in the last couple of years. I was lonely.”

  “I understand that feeling—better than you can imagine.” Sam raised her fingers to cover bruises on her throat that were starting to hurt. “But if you love your husband and want to make your marriage work, stay out of the bars, go home and fix it. You’re lucky this was the worst thing that happened.”

  “Believe me, I know.” She stood and offered her hand. “Thank you.”

  Sam held Andrea’s hand between both of hers. “Thank you for coming in. You did the right thing. I had him ninety-nine percent eliminated. You just gave me the one percent I still needed.”

  “In that case, I guess it was worth it.”

  “Good luck to you, Mrs. Daly.”

  “And to you, Sergeant. Senator O’Connor was a good man. I hope you find the person who did this to him.”

  “Oh, I will. You can count on that.” Sam stood at her doorway and watched Andrea leave.

  “What was that all about?” Freddie asked.

  “Terry O’Connor’s alibi.”

  Freddie’s eyes lit up. “No shit?”

  “Nope.”

  “Did you get an official statement?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I had nothing to gain, and she had everything to lose. She gave me what I needed. That was enough.”

  “I continue to be awed not just by your instincts but by your humanity.”

  “Fuck off, Cruz,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Did you get Peter put on ice?”

  “Yep. Sent the EMTs down to take a look at his busted schnoz. He’s screaming police brutality.”

  “Self-defense.” The fact she had taunted Peter into attacking her wouldn’t matter to the U.S. Attorney in light of the evidence they had implicating him in the bombings.

  “Damn straight it was.”

  “What’re you hearing from Gonzo and Arnold?”

  “Natalie’s mother told them she’s in seclusion and couldn’t come to the door. They didn’t push it because all you wanted was confirmation that she was there, and they saw her looking out an upstairs window. Noel spent the day working in his yard and washing his car. No sign of her at the house. Gonzo just took him in for the polygraph.”

  “Let’s set one up for her for tomorrow, after the funeral.”

  “Got it.”

  “So where does that leave us?” Sam unclipped her hair and ran her fingers through it. “Our two prime suspects, both with motive and opportunity pointing the finger at each other, but nothing about them is jumping out at us.”

  “Except her dead boyfriend. That’s a red flag.”

  “If she had anything to do with that, would her husband know about it? Would she have told him all about the boyfriend who’d tragically died in a fire?”

  “Hard to say. Murderers can be an arrogant lot. They often want people to know what they’ve done so they get the credit.”

  “I didn’t get that vibe from Noel. It was more of a ‘she was heartbroken’ vibe.” Sam checked her watch and saw it was after one. “I wanted another go with her, but I think I’ll wait until after we polygraph her to see if I need to show my cards on the dead boyfriend. Have Gonzo get her suspicions about her husband on the record at some point today. I’m not liking him for a suspect, but I want it in the file.”

  “Sounds like a good plan. Do you think it’s possible that neither of them had anything to do with it, and she’s just trying to get rid of a husband she never should’ve married?”

  “At this point, I’d say anything is possible, but I’m still left without a primary suspect three days into the investigation. That’ll really please the chief.”

  “How about I write up the reports from this morning?”

  “I’d appreciate that.” She thought for a moment and realized this was as good a moment as there was likely to be. “Can you come in for a minute?”

  “Sure.” He shut the office door behind him. “What’s up?”

  “You know I appreciate your help with the reports, right?”

  “It’s no problem.”

  “Well, for me it kind of is.” She rubbed a hand over her belly. In a rush of words, she said, “I’m dyslexic. I’ve struggled with it all my life, and it’s mostly under control, but I know you must wonder about the weird mistakes and stuff.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me before? I could’ve been doing all the reports.”

  “I don’t want that. It’s enough that you help me as much as you do.”

  “You still should’ve told me. We’re partners.”

  “Do I know everything there is to know about you?”

  He squirmed under the heat of her glare. “Most everything.”

  “We’ve all got our secrets, Cruz, and the last thing I want is special treatment. I don’t expect anything to change now that you know.”

  “Asking for help doesn’t make you weak, Sam. It makes you human.”

  “That’s the second time today someone told me what it means to be human. Don’t tell anyone about the dyslexia, all right?”

  “Who would I tell?” he huffed. “If you don’t know by now that you can trust me—”

  “If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have told you.” She paused before she said, “I’m sorry you had to hear that stuff I said to Peter. I know it was embarrassing for you.”

  “You got him to implicate himself, which is the goal of any interrogation.”

  “Still…”

  “I’m a big boy, Sergeant. I can handle it.”

  She looked at him with new appreciation. “Copy me on those reports, and you can run your domestic angle in the morning while I’m at the funeral.”

  “Got it.”

  “Go home after you finish the paperwork.”

  He held up a set of keys. “Your new ride, madam.”

  “Ohhh, what’d you get me? One of the new Tauruses?”

  “Yep. Navy blue.” He rattled off the parking space number.

  “Nice. Thanks.”

  “I might come by to watch the game later. I mean, if that’s all right with you.”

  “My dad invited you, didn’t he?”

  “Well, yeah, but…”

  “But what?”

  He smiled. “Nothing.”

  She pulled on her coat. “I’ll see you later, then. Oh, and thanks for having my back with the scumbag.”

  “No problem.” He followed her out of the office and closed the door behind him. “Sergeant Holland?”

  She turned to him, perplexed by his formality.

  “It’s a great pleasure to work with you.”

  “Back atcha, Detective. Right back atcha.”

  *

  On her way out of the detectives’ pit, she stopped to peek into the office that would soon be hers. Since the day she made detective, she’d had her eye on the lieutenant’s spacious corner office. However, because of her struggles with dyslexia, she hadn’t really allowed herself to hope.

  She turned to leave and ran smack into Lieutenant Stahl.

  “Would you jump in my grave that fast, Sergeant?”

  Taken aback by his sudden appearance, Sam stepped aside to let him in and noticed he carried a box.

  “You must be feeling quite satisfied.” He flipped on the lights and dropped the box on the desk. “Shagged a witness, made lieutenant, stole my command and got away with it—all in the same week.”

  Sam leaned against the doorframe and let him spew, fascinated by the way his fat chin jiggled in time with his venomous words.

  “I mean do you honestly think you’d have gotten away with screwing a witness if your daddy wasn’t the chief’s buddy?” He tossed pictures and mementos into the box. “You can bet internal affairs will be interested in taking a closer look at that.
In fact, you might just be my very first order of business.”

  Sam pretended to hang on his every word while she planned where to put her own things in the space.

  “This isn’t over, Sergeant. I refuse to turn a blind eye to blatant disregard for basic rules by someone who’s gotten where she is because of who she is.”

  Her hand rolled into a fist that she’d love to plant smack in the middle of his fat face, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Instead, she pulled her notebook from her back pocket and reached for a pen.

  His eyes narrowed. “What are you writing?”

  “Just a note to maintenance. They need to do something about the smell in here.” As little red blotches popped up on his fat face, she returned the pad to her pocket. “Good luck in the rat squad, Lieutenant. I’m sure you’ll fit right in.” Turning, she took her leave.

  “Watch your back, Sergeant,” he called. “Daddy won’t always be there to clean up your messes.”

  She turned around. “If you so much as look at my father with crossed eyes, I’ll personally break your fat-assed neck. Got me?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “A threat, Sergeant?”

  “No, Lieutenant. A promise.”

  CHAPTER 31

  Following the confrontation with Stahl, Sam’s stomach burned as she headed for the morgue exit, anxious to avoid the press and get home to Nick. The prospect of a boisterous Sunday dinner with her sisters and their families was looking better all the time. She was on her way to a clean escape when Chief Farnsworth stopped her in the lobby.

  “I’m glad I caught you, Sergeant. You need to give the media ten minutes.”

  She groaned.

  “In the aftermath of the bombing, you have to show the public you’re alive and actively engaged in the O’Connor case—and you’ve got to let them know you’ve cleared Terry O’Connor before the president himself starts calling for my ass in a sling.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “They’ll ask about Nick.”

  Rubbing her hand over her gut, she looked out at the media circus that had taken over the plaza. “I can handle it.”

  “I’ll be right there with you.”

  “Thank you,” she said, knowing his presence would send the signal that the department was firmly behind her.